Saturday, December 24, 2016

Christmas tide. 2016

Greetings from the Weeks family this blessed Christmas tide. 2016 has not been a very eventful year but here is the news. Our health continues to be reasonably good considering we have both reached the three score years and ten.We enjoyed two overseas holidays this year. In April we flew to Germany to visit our Ealing friends in Essen. 2017 marks 500 years since the start of Luther’s reformation. It would be good to find a suitable church history tour.

In August, ten Weeks and Littles went on a family cruise suggested by Adrian’s parents. So our party was Adrian’s parents and sister, Adrian, Rachel, Ethan and Elissa, we two and Debbie. We had two weeks cruising from Southampton to the Canary Islands and back via Lisbon and Spain - very relaxing.

Katy continues to be very busy with her cello and piano in church and cello in various outside groups. She is also very active in our Church’s English class helping women with their communication skills. Graham continues to preach at the Heathrow Immigration Removal Centre. He continues to convene two specialist groups for the local University of the Third Age as well as volunteering at the Evangelical Library. He is now in his 34th year as an elder in our church. Adrian is among four men about to commence an elder’s training course at our church. Our building plans have once again been delayed over costings but we are about to appoint a contractor and we hope building will start in January and be completed this time next year.

Debbie still lives with us. She helps in the church mother and toddlers group and also a weeknight club for children in school years 1 to 6. Her craft and design skills are much in demand. Her work is still child minding three days a week caring for our pastor’s three children including one year old Phoebe who has Down’s Syndrome. Rachel now is freelance in her occupational therapy working part time in two local schools. Near Cambridge, Jonathan has found some temporary employment in the warehouse of the Cambridge Examinations Board. Bethany and Hannah are now teenagers. Bethany was baptised last month. It was a very encouraging service for her and all the church members were very supportive. We had a lovely bring and share lunch together afterwards. In Canterbury Zac has followed sister Sahara with good marks in the 11 plus. So next year he will enter a boys’ grammar school there.

One major event we would pray for in 2017 is to move house. We have been here over 32 years and would like to downsize a little. We want to be no further from church but cannot afford to be nearer. We would like a smaller garden (Katy can’t cope with ours any more), a downstairs toilet, two reception and at least thee bedrooms. We are praying for God’s guidance in this and trusting in His goodness.